BSC Camp
by Elizabeth8289
Summary: The Baby-Sitters Club are about to do the camp for the summer... but things hasn't gotten easy. Logan cheated on Mary Anne. She nearly lost Kayla. How will things get better?
1. Mallory

I was asleep on a Saturday when my younger sister, Vanessa Pike was starting singing in rhythm. She wants to be a poet and she's nine.

"Time to get up. It's a brand new day to do things all day. I always knew it's sunny out today," sang Vanessa.

"Oh, alright, I'll get up," I said as I got up.

I'm Mallory Pike. I'm the oldest of eight kids at age eleven. It's true that I have seven siblings. Vanessa is one of them. Let me tell you about the rest since I already told you Vanessa's nine and would love to be a poet. She also shares a room with me.

Jordan, Adam, and Byron are ten-year -old triplets. Byron is the quiet one plus he's sensitive and gets hurt easily if Jordan and Adam tease him. They share a room with eight-year-old Nicky who tires to play with the triplets, but none of them lets him play. He also hates girls. Seven-year-old Margo and five -year -old Claire are the last ones to share a room together. Margo gets motion sickness in a car or bus, on the rides, and so on. We're always prepared when that happens often. Claire is going in the first grade. She loves to play pretend and calls anyone name along with 'Silly Billy-Goo-Goo.'

That's the whole crew of my siblings. When I baby-sit them all, we usually get a second sitter. Sometimes my best friend, Jessica 'Jessi' Ramsey helps me out during the afternoon.

She only has one sister Rebecca 'Becca' and one brother, John Philip, Jr. 'Squirt.' She's also African-American. She and her family moved here from Oakland, New Jersey. Boy, did she have a hard time fitting in! After that, the family got settling in.

We're both the oldest in our families, we're talented: I love to write and Jessi loves to dance, loves horses, we're great sitters, we both feel that our parents treat us like children (it's true!) though we did get our ears pierced not long ago, and we have a hamster.

We're going to be in the seventh grade at Stoneybrook Middle School while our friends are entering the ninth grade at Stoneybrook High School. Our friends are Mary Anne Spier and her stepsister Dawn Schafer, Kristy Thomas, Stacey McGill, and Claudia Kishi.

At eleven a.m., the doorbell rang as I went to answer the door. It was Jessi. We had planned to go out for lunch with the others.

"Mom, I'm leaving!" I called to her.

"Have fun, honey," Mom called back.

Outside, Stacey, who happens to be my neighbor, came through the fence to join us.

"Hi!" exclaimed Stacey happily.

"Hi, Stacey," said Jessi.

She grew up in New York City with her parents (she's an only child). She first moved here by seventh grade on Fawcutt St. when her father's company transferred him here. She joined the club of the Baby - sitters Club (BSC more about that in a bit). Then about a year and a half later, her father's company transferred him back to NYC. That was when Jessi moved here right into the McGill's old house!

However, not long after that, the McGills decided to get a divorce and poor Stacey had to choose to live with- stay in NYC with her father or move back to Stoneybrook with her mother. She decided to move back here because she had a bunch of friends here. So now, Stacey lives right behind me! Isn't that awesome?

Another thing about Stacey: she's a diabetic, which means NO sugar or sweets. If she didn't stick with that diet, she could go into a coma. Plus she has to inject herself (ew!) daily. She's brave about it with that. Her parents used to worry about her too much until she proved she could them she could handle it herself. When we got to the diner, we spotted Claudia and sat next to her. Stacey sat at the end next to her. Like me and Jessi, they're best friends. Claudia is an excellent artist, but not a school genius like her sister, Janine even though she had C averages and she was able to graduate with the rest. She also loves junk food and Nancy Drew (don't tell her parents because they disapprove of them.)

"Hi, Claudia," said Jessi.

"Where are the rest?" I asked.

Charlie and Kristy Thomas are two of the four Thomas kids. Kristy has another older brother, Sam and a younger brother, David Michael. They used to live across from Claudia's and next door to Mary Anne's. Their father left not long after David Michael was born. Somehow Mrs. Thomas was able to handle all four kids on her own.

Then when Kristy started seventh grade, Mrs. Thomas met and dated a millionaire named Watson Brewer. He has two kids of his own from his first marriage; Karen and Andrew. Then a year later, they became a stepfamily and since the Thomas/Brewer family was getting bigger, the Thomas moved in with the Brewers. In fact, Watson owns a mansion!

They adopted a two-year-old baby girl named Emily Michelle. That was when Mrs. Thomas's mother moved in to help out. They even own a cat, a dog, a rat, a hermit crab, and two fish. Imagine living in a house, including a mansion, that is crowded?

"Hi!" I greeted her.

"Hi," said Kristy.

"Logan is joining us as well along with Mary Anne and Dawn," said Claudia.

Mary Anne and Dawn are best friends and stepsisters. Kristy is Mary Anne's first best friend. How did Mary and Dawn become stepsisters? First of all, Mary Anne only grew up with her father who raised her after his wife died when Mary Anne was a baby. I heard her father was very strict. Imagine seeing her as a twelve-year-old wearing braids and jumpers? It was horrible for her. Plus, she wasn't allowed to use the phone except it was for homework. Then, Mary Anne stood up to her father by proving him that she wasn't a little girl anymore and she was able to wear what she wants, styles her own hair, and was able to talk on the phone or hang out with friends when she wants to.

That was when Dawn came along. She had moved here with her mother and younger brother, Jeff all the way from California when the Schafer family got divorced. That was hard on the kids, especially Jeff, who moved back there. Dawn's mother, Sharon happened to be the old girlfriend of Mary Anne's father! They dated back in high school. They ended up dating again (with Mary Anne and Dawn's help) and here's the best part: they got married! So now Mary Anne and Dawn are stepsisters.

Since the Spier house was smaller, Mr. Spier, Mary Anne, and her cat, Tigger had to move from Bradford Court over to Burnt Hill Road to move in with Sharon and Dawn. Isn't that awesome?

Oh, Mary Anne even has a steady boyfriend named Logan Bruno who happens to be one of two associate members. He's from Kentucky. When Mary Anne first met him, she thought it was her favorite star, Cam Geary. They both had the same hair color: blonde and have blue eyes.

The Spier family is different from the Schafer family. Mr. Spier and Mary Anne are organized while Sharon is very unorganized. Mr. Spier and Mary Anne like regular stuff while both Sharon and Dawn doesn't (don't) touch any sugar, sweets, or meat. Sharon isn't a cat lover, but she loves Tigger (isn't that odd?).

Dawn likes music while doing homework while Mary Anne likes to have peace and quiet.

Mary Anne, Dawn, and Logan arrived. Mary Anne sat between Kristy and Dawn. Things haven't been easy for Mary Anne and Logan. See, Mary Anne is very shy and quiet. Logan makes the decisions for her. Mary Anne didn't like that at all, so she and Logan split up for awhile.

It was fine after they got back together. Mary Anne was able to make her own decisions and orders her own stuff. Logan knows she can speak.

That's everyone in the club.

"What are you doing after lunch?" Logan asked Mary Anne.

"I'll be going to the mall with my dad," said Mary Anne.

"Oh, I was going to take you to the movies," said Logan.

"We can do that tomorrow afternoon. The movies are not going anywhere," said Mary Anne.

"That's right," said Kristy. "Mary Anne is tired of you making decisions for her."

"Fine we can go tomorrow," said Logan.

"Now that's a good boy," Mary Anne teased as we laughed.


	2. Mary Anne

At Claudia's later on, at five-thirty P.M., Kristy was about to start the meeting.

"This meeting will now come to order," announced our president.

I wasn't with Dad at the time though. He had to work until eight. He told me ahead of time when he called me. That was smart of him to do so. I don't mind. The mall can wait another time.

"Were you able to go to the mall with your father?" asked Kristy.

"No, we couldn't. He had to work until eight. He called me to tell me that ahead of time, which is fine by me," I said.

"At least he did that," said Jessi.

"I know," I agreed.

"Anyway, I have this great idea to do a BSC day camp for three weeks starting Monday since this weekend is 4th of July weekend," said Kristy.

"Sounds good," I said beginning to feel a bit better.

"We can have kids sign up either for half-day, which is from nine A.M. to one P.M. or for full-time from nine A.M. to five P.M.," said Kristy. "We can add some assistants like ten-year-olds or older like Mallory's triplet brothers. Logan is already one of them, so we can ask him to help out as well."

"That's a good idea," said Stacey.

"I agree," said Claudia. "We could add arts and crafts and the snack bar."

"I'll handle the sports," said Kristy, who loves sports.

"I'll do the music," said Jessi, since she's a great dancer.

"I'll do the writing center," said Mallory.

"I could do health so I can show them what is really looks like: about and tell them what diabetes is," said Stacey.

"I'll help Stacey to teach them about staying healthy," said Dawn.

"You can help me out, Mary Anne," said Kristy.

"Ok. I'll hand out the sports stuff," I said since I'm not into sports much.

"Where can we do it?" asked Mallory.

"We can do it at our house," said Dawn since our yard is bigger.

"Good idea," I said.

"We can charge about $40 per camper," said Kristy.

"We can use our treasurer box for our money and the checks can be separated until we cash out," said Stacey.

"We can do sign ups from Wednesday, which is tomorrow, through Friday since 4th of July is Saturday night," said Kristy. "Dawn and I can do the sign ups along with Stacey so she can handle the money," I said.

"That's an excellent idea," said Claudia. "I'll go talk to Janine and she'll let me use her computer after she's done. The sign ups will be held at Stacey's house."

"Sounds perfect," Kristy said.

Claudia left the room to her sister.

"May I use the computer after you're done?" asked Claudia as she told her what was going on.

"Certainly. Want me to help out with the flyers?" asked Janine.

"Ok. Thanks. We can do it after the meeting ends," said Claudia.

"Ok," smiled her sister. Claudia came back to join us and said, "It's all set. Janine is going to help me out."

"Can she help us out with the camp?" asked Mallory.

"I'll ask her later," said Claudia.

Even though Janine is the genius, she and Claudia get along okay and sometimes Janine helps Claudia study to get better grades, which helped her graduate! This means she's joining us in high school. She's getting better with her spelling skills, but she doesn't give up since her handwriting isn't good enough quite yet.

"I'll make a sign for sign ups. So we're doing ages four to nine?" I asked.

"Yes," said Kristy.

"I'll do that tonight," I said.

Later that night, I did the sign on a big yellow poster. I put the half-day time on one side and full-time one on the other side. I even added the ages and the amount. Then, I was all done.

"You did a nice job," commented Dawn.

"Thanks," I said.

"I find yellow posters show more colors or inks better," said Dawn.

"I agree," I said.

At dinner, it was just us three girls if you counted Sharon for dinner so we had pizza delivered from Domino's.

"Good thing Dad told me we won't able to go to the mall since he has to work late," I said.

"I agree with you," said Sharon.


	3. Kristy

I was at the mall the following day with Mary Anne and Logan when they invited me to the movies since the sign ups start at two to five P.M. It was only eleven A.M. and the movie was starting at noon.

"My dad left early for work this morning. He left a note when I got up. Randy was on vacation for a few days, so we'll do the mall after Randy returns or something," said Mary Anne.

After the movie ended at one-thirty P.M., we headed off to Stacey's.

"I liked that movie. That was good," said Mary Anne.

"I liked it too," said Logan.

"So do I," I said.

At Stacey, Mary Anne and Dawn were at the table just before two P.M. on the nose. The sign ups went well. Five kids signed up for full-time and seven signed up for the half-day. Mary Anne did the sign up sheet for full-time and Dawn had the sign up sheet for the half-day. So far, we made $410. By the time, the sign up sheet ended for the day, seven more signed up for (full-time) and eight more signed up for half-day. So now, it was $1,160 altogether for day one according to our math genius.

"How did it go?" I asked when I called Mary Anne later that day.

"It went fine. Twelve kids signed up for full-time and fifteen signed up for half-day," said Mary Anne.

"Wow," I said.

"I know," said Mary Anne. "You know what I found out: Logan was with Cokie when I spotted him during the sign ups."

"What?" I exclaimed in a shocked voice. "He was with you for the whole time at the mall."

"I know," said Mary Anne.

"And, why is he with Cokie to begin with?" I asked.

"Beats me," said Mary Anne. "Stacey noticed that before I did."

"Wait until we chat with him. If he keeps it up, he is not going to help us out," I said.

"I agree," said Mary Anne.

Since I'm president, I can easily hire or fire anyone in our club especially if Logan keeps it up. I hired him and I have the right to ban anyone from baby-sitting or fire from the club. If we club members can vote anyone in or out.


	4. Dawn

Mary Anne was still upset about Logan breaking her heart. No one should upset my sister for nothing. At home, poor Mary Anne was in tears and she fled right upstairs to her room. I felt bad for her. I went to the kitchen to start dinner.

Mom came home then.

"Richard's not home yet?" asked Mom.

"You know he gets out of work at six," I reminded her.

"He was supposed to get out an hour ago today," said Mom.

"Then, I haven't seen him," I shrugged my shoulders. "Why?"

"We were supposed to go see a comedy show in Stamford after we eat dinner," replied Mom.

"Oh," I answered.

"Isn't Mary Anne helping you?" asked Mom.

"She's very upset right now," I said. "Logan broke her heart earlier; she saw him with Cokie as usual during the sign ups."

"Oh, dear, that's a shame," said Mom.

"I know," I agreed. "We all felt bad for Mary Anne."

"I bet," said Mom.

That was when Richard finally came home.

"Sorry I'm late; I was stuck in traffic on my way home. There were workers fixing the road," said Richard.

"That's okay," said Mom.

"What's for dinner tonight?" asked my stepfather.

"Homemade Pizza," I replied. "I'm adding salad and garlic bread."

"Where's my girlfriend?" asked Richard.

He always calls Mary Anne his girlfriend because they're very close.

"She's upset," I replied as I told him what Logan did. "So, she's heartbroken about it."

"I bet," said Richard.

"That's what I said earlier," said Mom.

"I'll go see her while dinner's being prepared," said Richard.

"Okay," I said.

In Mary Anne's room, Richard knocked on the door and came in to see his daughter.

"Dawn told me what happened," said Richard sitting next to her on the bed. "That must be tough on you."

She just nodded while he was comforting her.

"It'll be okay," said Richard while she was hugging him.

She didn't even speak a single word because she was much too upset about earlier.

I came up and said, "It's time for dinner, guys."

"Okay," said Richard.

He got up only Mary Anne didn't.

"Don't you want any dinner?" asked my stepfather as she shook her head, no. "If you change your mind, we'll save you leftovers."

"She must be still upset about Logan," I said.

"I know, she's been very quiet for the whole time I was with her," said Richard as he turns to his daughter. "I'll come back up to see her after dinner."

She just nodded. She still didn't say a word. That's how she is when she's upset often, but not always. You could tell she's heartbroken. Logan should use his head before he did it to my sister. Cokie should know he's not interested in her, but does he tell her he's been taken? No, not until the last minute. Mary Anne gets very mad at hime for cheating on her and blames him for not telling Cokie that he's already taken. Girls don't like that; boys don't like it either for that matter. No one can stand any popular girls at all. They're lucky they have two friends each. Marci used to be like that, but not anymore.

The only two sidekicks Mary Anne gets along with are Marci's friends; Kath and Patti and none of them don't like it when Cokie steals Logan and don't like seeing Mary Anne feeling hurt. Not those two are perfect friends for Mary Anne or any of us. Bebe and Grace are alright, but they don't bother telling Cokie that Logan belongs to Mary Anne.

After dinner, Richard did come back up to see Mary Anne who was still very upset. She hugged him while she was crying for the entire time.

"It'll be okay, sweetheart," said Richard comforting her.

The next day, Mary Anne and I came to the sign up to continue to do the BSC camp sign ups. That was when we spotted both Kathi and Patti.

"Hi, Mary Anne," said the girls.

"Hi," said Mary Anne.

"We noticed Cokie with your boyfriend," said Kathi.

"So did I," said Mary Anne. "Stacey spotted them as well. I was very angry when I spotted that."

"I don't blame you," said Patti.

"Me either," said Kathi. "Thank god we're not Cokie's friends."

"I know," said Patti.

Marci, who was right behind them, came by, too.

"Hi," said Marci.

"Hi," said Mary Anne.

Marci's been nice to Mary Anne lately like I already mentioned before. That's a good thing.

"Kristy is going to have a nice long talk with him when she sees him," I said.

"Good," said Kathi.

"I know," agreed my sister.

"Maybe we can help you girls if it's okay with you all," said Kathi.

"Yeah, it'll be fun," added Patti as Marci agreed.

Mary Anne and I stared at each other.

"Okay, you can talk about it to Kristy about it. She's the founder of the club," I said.

"Sounds good," said Patti.

"Do you have her number?" asked Kathi.

Mary Anne wrote Watson's number twice and gave it to the girls.

"Thanks," said all three of them.

"No problem," said Mary Anne. "I don't think it'll be a problem for us."

"Yeah since you're the only two sidekicks that we get along with," I agreed.

Then, they left us.

"Thank god we like them all including Marci," said Mary Anne.

"Tell me about it," I agreed.

We really did good for the sign ups. The newcomers signed up, too. Half was for half-time and others were for full-time. I knew we'd have a fun time.


	5. Mary Anne II

After the sign ups, Dawn and I talked to Kristy about Marci, Patti, and Kathi helping us out.

"That's a good idea," agreed Kristy. "They're much more mature than Cokie and her sidekicks to be honest with you."

"I agree," I said. "They're both going to call you anyway."

"That's fine," said Kristy.

We were at the diner with our pals. I tried not to let Cokie being with Logan bother me. Does it work? Just a little bit. However, I still could feel my heart breaking.

"Are you going to be okay now, Mary Anne?" asked Dawn.

"I kept thinking about Logan breaking my heart," I said. "It's so hard not to think about it."

"I know it is," agreed Claudia.

"If you don't mind, but I think I'm going to go home," I said.

"We don't mind," said Stacey.

I got up and left for home.

"Poor Mary Anne is really heartbroken because of Logan," said my sister.

"I know," agreed Kristy.

"I feel bad for her," said Jessi.

"Me, too," said Mallory.

At home, I went up to my room with tears starting to roll down. In my room, I was on my bed while curled up in a ball crying. Ten minutes later, I didn't hear Dawn come home.

"Mary Anne," said Dawn as she came in to be with me. "Are you alright now?"

I didn't notice her there. I was still curled up in a ball while I was crying.

"Logan should've thought that before he cheated on you," said Dawn. "He shouldn't upset my sister."

I just kept crying while she was comforting me.

"I'm home, girls," said a voice.

Dawn came out and it was Dad.

"Hi, Richard," said Dawn. "You're home early today."

"I'm starting my vacation for two weeks, so I'll be able to help you girls out with the camp," replied Dad. "Thank god I have no paperwork or jury duties until I go back to work."

"That's good," said Dawn.

"How's Mary Anne doing today?" asked Dad.

"She's still very upset," replied my sister. "She almost tried not to think about what Logan did to her."

"I bet," agreed Dad.

After he put his work stuff away, he came in to be with me.

"It's going to be okay, sweetie," said Dad.

He got to me and put me against his shoulders putting my arms around him. That was when I hugged him tightly. The doorbell rang.

"I'll go get it," said Dawn. "If it's Logan, I'm going to let him have it for upsetting Mary Anne."

She came down and answered the door. It was Logan while she folded her arms.

"Go away. You broke my sister's heart!" exclaimed Dawn in a firm voice.

"What?" asked Logan.

"She and Stacey were doing sign-ups when they saw you kissing Cokie as usual," said Dawn.

"There is a reason for that. I decided to have another girlfriend who is active," said Logan.

"Oh, really? I thought you don't mind to have anyone who is shy," said Dawn. "Wait until she hears this. And who told you to say that?"

"I can't tell you or Mary Anne," replied Logan.

"Right. Plus I don't think she wants to see you at all because of what you did," said Dawn. "Until you can apologize, don't come by again."

Dawn shuts the front door. I was out hearing all this.

"Am I hearing this right? He wants to have an active girlfriend?" I asked getting more upset than ever.

"He did say that," said Dawn.

"Since when?" I asked.

"Tell me about it," agreed Dawn.

"I thought he doesn't mind me being shy," I said.

"That's what I said," said my sister.

I ran back to my room to Dad and hugged him.

"It'll be okay, I'm going to call Mrs. Bruno for this," said Dad.

Later, he did call Mrs. Bruno and she was shocked to hear that and was going to have to talk to him. That made me feel a little bit better. At dinner, I wasn't eating much since I'm still heartbroken.

"You're not eating much, honey. Are you alright?" asked Dad. "Are you still upset about Logan?"

I just nodded and said, "May I please be excused?"

"Yes, of course," said Dad.

I got up and went up to my room.

"At least doing the camp would make her feel better," said Dawn.

"That's true," said Dad.

After dinner, Dad came up to see if I was alright.

"Mary Anne, honey," said Dad as he came in to sit with me. "Are you feeling alright now?"

"A little, it'll be hard to get over this whole thing without letting it ruin my summer vacation," I replied.

"I know," said Dad putting his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm glad he was going to be punished until he apologizes to me," I added.

"I agree with you," said Dad. "Do you want to have a father-daughter day on Friday?"

"Okay," I said trying to smile a little.

"I'm on vacation for two weeks, so I already told Dawn I'll be able to help you girls out with the camp," said Dad.

"Good," I said as I sat up and hugged him.

I just love being with Dad.

"I'll probably do a few errands in between," added Dad.

"Alright," I said.


	6. Stacey

The next day at the mall, Dawn was telling us about what Logan said after letting him have hurting Mary Anne who wasn't with us because she was recovering from her broken heart.

"He said that about Mary Anne!" exclaimed Kristy in her angry voice.

"Yep, so I told him since when he wants an active girlfriend he has a shy one," said Dawn.

"You got that right," I agreed.

"I even told him not to come by unless he apologizes to Mary Anne," continued Dawn. "Richard even called Mrs. Bruno and he was being grounded until he says he's sorry."

"Good," said Claudia.

"When I see him, I'm going to tell him that he's not helping us out until then because he's not going to upset my best friend again," said Kristy.

"Good idea to teach him a good lesson," said Mallory.

"Yeah," said the rest of us.

"Dawn, will Mary Anne be able to help us out at the camp?" asked Jessi.

"She should be," said Dawn. "Richard will be around to help us out, too, because he's on a two-week vacation from work and he said he'll do a few errands in between."

"That's cool," said Claudia.

"I know, so I'm happy about that," said Dawn.

"Maybe we should go see Mary Anne after this," I suggested.

"That's a good idea, she would love that very much," smiled Dawn.

"Yeah," said the others.

After we saw a movie, we did go to Dawn's to pay Mary Anne a visit.

"Wow, this is a nice surprise," said Mary Anne who seemed to be better.

"We figured we'd see you," said Kristy. "Are you feeling okay now?"

"A little bit," replied Mary Anne who tried to smile.

"Are you going to be alright to do the camp with us?" asked Mallory.

"Yes, I just hope it'll help me to forget what Logan did to me," replied Mary Anne.

"It will, trust me," said her best friend.

"Okay," said Mary Anne.

"Marci, Patti, and Kathi called me last night and it's all set. They all got permission to be our helpers and they'll help us set up here on Saturday. I already gave them the address to come here," said Kristy. "They know where Brunt Hill Road is."

"It's a good thing we're setting up on Saturday because my dad and I are going out for the day Friday," said Mary Anne.

"That's cool," said Jessi.

"I know," agreed Mary Anne.

On Wednesday, Mary Anne was well enough to be at the meeting. She already put herself under the unavailable list for Thursday and Friday afternoon and night.

"So you can't baby-sit at all on those two days?" asked Kristy.

"Not at all. Dad and I might not be back until after we have dinner Friday, so I won't be home time for the meeting that day," said Mary Anne.

"Okay," said Kristy.

Mary Anne is super-organized and always tells us ahead of time whenever she can't make it to the meeting.

"What time you're leaving Thursday?" asked Dawn.

"At around noon," said Mary Anne. "He told me we'll be in New York City for overnight. We might leave earlier."

"Wow," said Claudia.

"Are the Willis going there, too?" asked Kristy.

"Not this weekend, they're going somewhere else for a change. They'd like me to go with them but I told them I made plans with Dad already plus I'll be helping you guys to set up for the camp. And oh, both Kayla and Kaylee will be helping us since they're three doors down from me and Dawn," said Mary Anne.

"Oh, goody, more helpers," said Kristy.

We laughed. Like me, Kayla and Kaylee grew up in New York City. In fact, we went to school together twice, which was before and after I moved here. They're Mary Anne's best friends now. Don't get confused now, but they're also identical twins. Kayla is suffering from leukemia, but nothing can stop her doing things she loves to do or go. She lived when she first had it; this is the second time she has it.

"They can't wait to do so," said Mary Anne.

"Did they know what Logan did?" asked Jessi.

"I told them all about it and his excuse, neither of them could believe it," replied Mary Anne.

"I bet," said Kristy.

"I also bet Cokie told Logan to say that," said Claudia.

"You know what? You might be right because when I asked him, he was like 'I can't tell you or Mary Anne,'" said Dawn.

"I'll make him to tell me or he's not helping us," said Kristy.

"Good idea," I agreed.

The phone rang as I answered.

"Hello. Baby-Sitters Club at your service," I said. "Oh, hi, Mrs. Newton. For Sunday; two to four in the afternoon? Sure; we'll call you right back."

"Thanks," said Mrs. Newton.

Mary Anne already checked and announced, "Dawn, Kristy, and Claudia are available."

"You take it, Claudia, you're in front of them," said Kristy.

"Okay, I'll do it," said Claudia.

We usually give the ones who free to do since they're closer, which makes sense to us. I called Mrs. Newton back to tell her Claudia will be the sitter. She thanked us again as I hung up.

"That's all set," I said.

"Mom cashed in the check and it's all set. I put it in a special spot so we can use the money if we plan to treat ourselves to go on a trip or something," said Kristy.

"Great idea!" exclaimed Dawn.

"Like where?" asked Mary Anne.

"How about if we should travel all over the States?" asked Kristy.

"Sounds good," said Claudia.

"Yeah," agreed Mallory.

"We can pick them once we planned it," said Kristy.

"Okay," said Mary Anne.

At six, the meeting was over already and we left for home.


	7. Jessi

_Jessi - I had a fun time helping Mallory with her siblings today. But they were rough! Thank god we keep them out of trouble. I stayed in with the triplets who broke a vase this time. In fact, they broke it and are grounded for that (yes, they told the truth) since Mrs. Pike tells them not to play ball in the house._

_Mallory - Tell me about it. So, this means no phone, no outdoors or leaving the house, which means they can't help us out with the camp for the first week. They can watch TV and don't have to be in their room._

The following day, I came to the Pikes' house to help Mallory watch her siblings for the afternoon. When I got there, Mrs. Pike met me at the door.

"Hello, Jessi," Mrs. Pike said.

"Hi," I said.

"There is only one thing I need to tell you before I go: the triplets broke a vase after I told them not to play ball in the house, so they're grounded for the week. That means they can't go outside, leave the house, which means they can't help you with the camp until the following week, and they can't use the phone," instructed Mrs. Pike. "They're allowed to watch TV and they don't have to be in their room."

"Did they tell you who did it this time?" I asked.

"I already knew when Mallory told me they broke it and they confessed it was true, that's why they're all punished," replied Mrs. Pike.

They all got punished last time when they broke a window when Stacey was sitting for them and none of them confessed who did it. That was until Mrs. Pike found out it was everyone's and nobody's fault to break it.

"I'll be back before five and Mr. Pike is working until six, so I'll be home before him," said Mrs. Pike.

"Okay. Where are the kids right now?" I asked.

"They're having a snack in the kitchen," said Mrs. Pike.

"Okay, see you later," I said.

Thank god she hires two sitters when every single Pike kids are home because they usually can be rough and it would be hard to watch all seven of them on your own. Mallory is usually one of them. I came into the kitchen.

"What would I get? Cheese or an apple that would please me," said Vanessa.

"They're having a snack in the kitchen," said Mrs. Pike.

"Okay, see you later," I said.

Thank god she hires two sitters when every single Pike kids are home because they usually can be rough and it would be hard to watch all seven of them on your own. Mallory is usually one of them. I came into the kitchen.

"What would I get? Cheese or an apple that would please me," said Vanessa.

Everywhere she goes, she rhymes even if she's home or out. It can be tiring after awhile.

"Vanessa, just choose a snack and forget the poetry so you can close the fridge," said Mallory.

Vanessa finally chose an apple.

"I'm bored, there's nothing to do," complained Adam.

"Me, too," agreed Jordan and Byron.

"We want to go outdoors," said Byron.

"Sorry, boys, you know the rules," I said.

"Staying inside is no fun," said Adam.

"Maybe if you didn't break Mom's vase after she told you not to play inside, this wouldn't happen," said his sister.

Mallory is an excellent sitter to her siblings even if they get out of control. The phone rings and Vanessa answered the phone.

"The Pike residence. Who would you like to speak to?" asked Vanessa. "I'm sorry, but my dear brother, Adam, is punished, so he can't come to the phone or leave the house for a week. Okay, no problem. Bye now."

She hung up after that and Mallory was impressed on how she remembered the triplets' punishment rules.

"Good remembering, Vanessa," said Mallory.

Adam just pouts and said, "Thanks a lot!"

"Adam, she was just helping out. She was good about it," said Mallory.

"Thanks, Mallory," said Vanessa.

"Mallory, you can take the younger kids outdoors and I'll stay inside with the triplets like I did last time," I offered.

"Okay, thank you for offering," smiled Mallory.

That was when she gathered the younger ones and headed outside with them. At the meantime the triplets decided they were really bored and went to the living room to watch TV. That'll keep them busy since they are allowed to watch it like Mrs. Pike told me.

By the time Mallory came back inside with the younger kids, Mrs. Pike came back home at four - thirty while the triplets were still watching TV. Mallory even told her mom that Vanessa remembered the triplets' punishment. She was very impressed about that as well.

"Thank you for sitting, Jessi," said Mrs. Pike.

"No problem," I said.

She paid me and I left for home. When I got home, Mama and Daddy asked me to keep an eye on Becca and Squirt while they get pizza that they ordered for take-out.

"Okay, Mama and Daddy," I said.

"We'll be back shortly," said Mama.

"Alright," I smiled.

They left and came back in ten minutes.

"Becca! Pizza's here!" I called to her.

"I'll be right down!" Becca called back.

She was washing her hands and came back down for dinner. Pizza is always good. Duh.

"So, how was your sitting job with the Pike kids?" asked Mama.

"Good," I replied as I told them about the adventures especially with the triplets being punished.


	8. Mary Anne III

While Jessi was helping Mallory with her siblings, Dad and I left for New York City. We were staying for one night like we planned. We left for eleven. It was a good thing that we did because there was traffic on the way. There were workers working on the roads. In New York City, we were already at the plaza. I love going there.

At the plaza, Dad said, "I also got tickets for a boardway show. We'll be seeing _The Little Mermaid_."

"Sweet!" I exclaimed.

I love to see any Broadway shows. I would like to move to New York City someday because there is million things to do and see and so many restaurants to eat at.

"We can eat out early before we go see the show," said Dad.

"Sounds good," I smiled.

That night, we ate at _Bubba Gump_ and then, we went straight to the Broadway show since it starts at seven pm. I had a fun time watching the show. I would see that again. We had so much fun that we didn't even go to bed until midnight. I love seeing the lights at night. They're so pretty.

The next day, I was up at nine, but I noticed Dad didn't get up yet. This was unusual. So, I was reading while I waited and he still didn't get up. I hope that he's okay. The next thing I knew, he had a flu. That's why he didn't get up at all. He told me we'll leave when he gets better.

"You can also go on our own for awhile if you want. You can either explore the city or stay here in the plaza," said Dad.

Explore the city on my own? I don't want to get lost.

"I'll just stay at the plaza," I told him.

"Okay," said Dad.

Then, he gave me money to get him Ginger Ale, so that's what I did and came back to give it to him.

"Thank you, honey," said Dad.

"Would you still able to join me for lunch when you're better?" I asked.

"I should be," replied Dad.

"Should I come back up afterwards?" I asked him.

"If you want to, otherwise I can meet you downstairs. I can text you," said Dad.

"Okay," I said. "Sounds like a good plan to me."

I decided to go downstairs to be in the gift shop. I looked around after I had breakfast. When I was in there paying after an hour, I saw everyone running for cover.

"What's going on out there?" I asked myself.

When I went out, it was a gunman. Yikes. I went back in to warn the clerk.

"Thank you for the warning so we can be safe and sound," said the clerk.

Just after the clerk called the police, the gunman was in the gift shop.

"Do not move a muscle or I'll shoot," warned the gift shop.

"How could I get out?" I asked softly.

There must be a way to get out without the gunman to notice me. Perhaps if I could try to walk out quietly, he won't spot me to try to shoot me. I hid behind the selve to make sure he doesn't see me. That was when I left the gift shop. The gunman nearly shot me, but he missed me when I ducked and ran off. I made a beeline back to our room and made there safe and sound. Good.

My knees were shaking and was making me nauseous. I went to the window and noticed an ambulance arrived along with the police officer. Someone must have gotten shot or something. At least that wasn't me. Thank goodness I was safe. The plaza never had shootings at all. Luckily for me, Dad was better.

"You're back early," said Dad.

"There was a gunman down there," I said.

That was when I noticed him getting arrested. I told Dad about what happened.

"The clerk was glad that I warned him about the gunman," I said.

"I bet he was," agreed Dad. "We can go back downstairs."

"Okay, good. The gunman just got arrested, so we should be safe now," I said.

When we went back downstairs, it was almost lunchtime. The clerk saw me and thanked me and told my dad how brave I was while the gunman. Brave? I was _so_ scared. Well, I was brave when I went by the gunman until he spotted me.

"Did anyone got shot because I saw the ambulance?" I asked.

"Only one person did. It was someone from here whose family moved to Stoneybrook and it was an African-American woman," said the clerk.

I knew what he was talking about.

"I know who that is. That's my friends' grandmother. I hope she'd be okay," I said.

"I know the family very well. They visit here all the time," said the clerk.

Now, he's making me very nervous. Then, ten minutes later, I spotted Mrs. Willis' father, Jeffrey, and went to him. They always let me call them by their first names.

"Hi, I was told Ginny got shot. Was she alright?" I asked.

"She was pronounced dead at the hospital," replied Jeffrey.

"What? Kayla and Kaylee are going to be very upset when I tell them. I'll tell them if you want me to. I'll be heading back home today anyway," I said trying to hold back tears.

"That would be great, you can also tell my daughter," said Jeffrey.

They treat me like their granddaughter. Dad invited him to be with us to cheer him up and he joined us. I was able to forget about it thankfully. We had lunch at MacDonald's, went to Macy's, and so on. Later that day, I was back at home.

"I'm just going over next door to see the girls," I said.

"Okay, that's fine," said Dad.

I left to go over. The girls were on the porch waiting for me already.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi, Mom and Dad went out, but we wanted to stay home so we can see you," said Kayla.

"Perfect," I said as we laughed.

"How was New York City?" asked Kaylee.

"Fun. We went to see _The Little Mermaid_ last night. That was very fun. We did that after we ate an early dinner at _Bubba Gump_," I said.

"That's cool. I love Broadway shows," said Kayla.

"So do I," I said. "This morning, I was up before Dad, which was unusual. That was when I found out he had a flu. So, he told me I could be on my own until he gets better. So, I went to the gift shop to look around for awhile."

"The gift shop is the best part about the plaza," said Kaylee as Kayla agreed.

"Then, an hour later, there was everyone running for cover. I didn't know what it was, so I went out to see and there was a gunman. I was able to warn the clerk and he thanked. We were told not to move or he'd shoot. But I was able to get out of there quietly. I was able to get back to the room in a hurry. I got so scared that my knees were shaking," I said.

"I bet you were," said Kaylee.

"When I got back to the room, I saw the gunman getting arrested. Plus, there was an ambulance and I didn't know if anyone got shot," I said.

"Good. He deserved to get arrested," said Kayla.

"Dad got better enough, so we went back downstairs and the clerk told me it was your grandmother who got shot," I said.

"Really?" asked Kaylee who was shocked.

"Was she okay?" asked Kayla.

"I'm not sure how to break the news to you both, but when I saw your grandfather, he told me she was pronounced dead at the hospital," I told them. "I was stunned, too."

"Wow," said Kaylee.

"I told him I would tell you and he didn't mind me doing that. He wants me to tell your mother," I said.

"I'm glad you told us," said Kayla who was trying not to cry.

"I know," I said comforting her.

When her parents came back, I told him the bad news. Mrs. Willis was shocked to hear that.

"Thank you for telling us," said Mr. Willis. "That was a surprised."

"I know. The gunman got arrested," I said.

"Good. Glad to know about that," said Mr. Willis.

"We'll tell the others when they get back home together. They're with their friends. I'll go call my father to see how he's doing," said Mrs. Willis as she went inside to call her father.

I bet my other friends would be surprised, too. I realized I was brave while telling the girls about what happened to their grandmother.


	9. Claudia

The next day, I got to Mary Anne and Dawn's with the art stuff for the art booth. They were outside when I got there.

"Hi, girls, once everyone gets here, we can get started to set up for the camp," I said.

"Okay," said Mary Anne. "Kayla and Kaylee are not helping us out today."

"Why? What happened?" I asked.

"Their grandmother passed away yesterday after she got shot by a gunman," replied Mary Anne. "That was hours before I came back."

My mouth dropped open and said, "That's horrible."

"I know, it was scary," said Mary Anne. "Their grandfather told me when I saw him. I'll tell all about it when the rest of the gang gets here."

"Okay," I said.

"Kristy and Shannon are getting a ride from Watson now," said Mary Anne.

Stacey, Mallory, and Jessi arrived then.

"Hi, everyone," said Dawn.

"Hi," said the girls.

"I can't wait to get started," said Mallory.

"Me either," said Jessi. "This is going to be very exciting."

Marci, Patti, and Kathi came as well.

"Hi, Mary Anne," said Kathi.

"Hi, girls," said Mary Anne.

"Hi, everyone," said Patti.

"Hi," greeted the rest of us.

"Nine down, two to go, Kristy and Shannon are on their way," said Mary Anne.

That was when Kristy and Shannon arrived.

"Thanks, Watson," said the girls.

"I'll pick you both up at around five-thirty this afternoon," said Watson.

"Okay," said Kristy.

"Now we're all together," said Dawn.

We all laughed. Mr. Spier came home with wood. That's just what we need for the booths.

"That should be enough for you, girls," said Mr. Spier.

"Thanks, Dad," said Mary Anne.

"I'll stay out to help you all," said Mr. Spier.

"Sounds good," said Dawn.

"What's with all the cars over there at the Willis' house?" asked Stacey.

"Mrs. Willis' mother died yesterday while Dad and I were still in New York City. A gunman shot and killed her," replied Mary Anne.

"That's a shame," said Stacey.

"I know," I agreed.

"How did that happen?" asked Kristy.

Mary Anne told us everything about it.

"Uh-oh," said Mallory.

"Tell me about it," said Mary Anne. "I figured I'd tell the family yesterday."

That was when Kayla and Kaylee came to us.

"Sorry to hear about your grandmother," said Stacey.

"Yeah," we said.

"Thanks," said Kayla and Kaylee.

"Look who's with the colored people," we heard a voice say.

When we turned, it was Cokie. Oh, brother, it was just what we need. Mary Anne knew who Cokie was talking about.

"Excuse me. Are you trying to make them upset even more?" asked Mary Anne. "They just lost their grandmother yesterday and I don't need you to get them sadder."

"Yeah, just mind your business," added Dawn.

We noticed Stacey going on the porch with the Willis twins who did even get more upset.

"See what I mean?" asked Mary Anne. "Just leave my best friends alone."

That made Cokie leave.

"She's so immature these days," said Mary Anne.

"Tell us about it," said Patti.

"I agree," said Kathi.

Marci agreed with them.

Mary Anne went on the porch to see how Kayla and Kaylee were doing.

"How are they doing? Cokie upset them even more, didn't she?" asked Mary Anne.

"Yeah, she sure did," replied Stacey.

"She needs to learn to respect people when they're upset especially when they've lost someone they loved very much," said Mary Anne as the girls agreed.

"I know," said Dawn. "The immature people just don't care if they did hurt someone else's feelings."

"I know they don't," said Stacey.

"Cokie should care," said Mary Anne.

"Exactly," agreed Kayla.

We were done setting up later that afternoon just before dark. We finished just in time when Watson came by to pick up Kristy and Shannon.

"Bye, girls," said Mary Anne.

"Bye," said Shannon and Kristy getting in the car as it drove off.

"I can't wait for the camp to start on Monday," I said.

"Me either," said Mary Anne.

"It's going to be so much fun," added Dawn.

The time-out booth was going to be in the living room when we talked to Mr. Spier about where the time-out should be. He'll stay in with them until their time out is finished, which was a good idea. Either Mary Anne or Dawn would take over while Mr. Spier is out doing errands.

On Monday, it was camp day! I was the first to arrive. Mary Anne and Dawn were already outside.

"The girls are going to start helping out tomorrow, their grandmother's funeral is today, so they're in New York City now. They left yesterday afternoon," Mary Anne informed us.

"Okay, that's fine," I said.

Kristy and Shannon arrived ten minutes later.

"Can't you believe today is finally happening for the camp BSC?" asked Kristy excitedly.

"I know," agreed Mary Anne.

"You know what I heard earlier, Cokie was the one who told Logan to tell Mary Anne he prefers to have an active girlfriend," said Patti when she and Kathi arrived with Marci.

"You're kidding!" exclaimed Mary Anne in a shocked voice.

"It's true," said Kathi. "I made Logan to tell me that."

"Where did you see him? He was supposed to be punished," said Mary Anne.

"Not anymore. He was at the diner where we were for breakfast on the way here," said Kathi. "I was like, 'why don't you tell that to Mary Anne?'"

"I know," said Mary Anne.

"That was shocking to hear," I said.

"I agree," said Patti.

At eight-forty, some of the campers started to arrive. They had a fun time doing a lot of activities. Mr. Spier was out doing errands like he said he would while helping us out. The half-time campers left for one like it was planned and while full-time campers left later that afternoon. They were well-behaved. We showed them around what we would be doing and other things. They enjoyed it so far, which is good.

That night, we were at the diner when we spotted Logan. He came to us.

"I just need to steal Mary Anne," said Logan.

"Only if you'll apologize," said Kristy as we all agreed.

"That's why I'm over here," said Logan.

Mary Anne got up and they went out there to talk.

"Why did Cokie tell you to say you need an active girlfriend? That was still hurtful," said Mary Anne.

"I know, and I'm sorry, and I had to agree to keep her out of my hair and to leave both of us alone," said Logan. "That's what I told her yesterday when I got off punishment."

"Oh," said Mary Anne. "I bet she wasn't too happy about it."

"She didn't like that. I told her too bad. I told her you and I are happy when we're together," Logan said.

After they talked, they came back in to join us. I'm glad Logan is making Mary Anne happy again. We all want her to be happy.


	10. Stacey II

The next day, we were glad that Logan was able to help us out. Kayla and Kaylee are back to help us out according to Mary Anne. Thank God for that. We had a busy day. I had a headache during the day. When I checked my blood sugar, it was pretty low. I had some orange juice after I asked Mary Anne if she could get it for me and I felt much better after that.

"Were you okay?" asked Claudia.

"My blood sugar was low, so I just had some orange juice," I replied.

"That's a good thing," said Claudia.

"I know," I agreed.

"Kayla and Kaylee seem to be better today," said Claudia.

"A little. They were with Mary Anne all day to keep themselves busy," I told her. "And, that's a good thing. We all want them to be happy again."

"Is Mary Anne still upset about their grandmother's death since she treats Mary Anne like a granddaughter to her?" asked Claudia.

"She's not upset anymore. She forgot all about it. She told me earlier," I said.

"Oh. Good," said Claudia as I agreed with my best friend.

After the camp was over for the day, Claudia and I went to her house before we got to my house after the meeting because she was staying there overnight and we were planning to walk to Mary Anne and Dawn's together in the morning. Actually, all of us members walked to Claudia's together. At Claudia's, the club was about to start.

"The club is now in order," announced Kristy.

"It was really a busy day, today, wasn't it?" I asked.

"It sure was," replied Dawn.

The only person who wasn't in the room was Mary Anne.

"Where's Mary Anne?" I asked.

"She went to use my bathroom. She'll be right with us," replied Claudia.

"But I need to use it," said Janine.

"Will you wait your turn? She just got in there," said Claudia.

"I can't hold it," said her impatient sister.

"Then you shouldn't wait until the last minute," said Claudia.

"I would have to agree with Claudia. My brother, Jeff, is the same way at home when I'm in California," said Dawn.

"Is she okay though?" asked Kristy who was concerned.

"I'm not sure. She was fine all day," said Dawn.

That was when we could hear Mary Anne in the bathroom throwing up.

"I hope she's okay," said Claudia.

Then, she came back a few minutes later and Janine rushed in the bathroom as she slammed the door behind her.

"Boy, is Janine so i-m-p-a-t-i-e-n-t," I spelled out in a low voice.

Claudia knew what I meant as she agreed.

"Were you okay?" asked Dawn.

"You look pale," added Kristy.

"I don't feel so well," was all Mary Anne could respond. "My stomach started bugging me and I threw up. That's why I was in there. I was feeling nauseous, so as I was about to get some water, I thought I was about to throw up on the bathroom floor."

"You must have made it to the toilet in time," said Claudia.

"Yes, otherwise I'd be embarrassed," continued Mary Anne.

"Why don't you go home so you can get some rest," suggested Kristy.

"I'm feeling dizzy," said Mary Anne.

"I'll go call your father," said Dawn as she left the room to go call Mr. Spier.

Then, Janine got out of the bathroom.

"Uh-oh," said Mary Anne who was nauseous as she rushed out of the room to the bathroom to start throwing up again.

That was when Dawn came back.

"No answer at the house and I left a voicemail on his cell phone," said Dawn.

Mr. Spier must have gotten the message because he arrived three to four minutes later.

"Is Mary Anne okay now?" asked Mr. Spier.

"She's on the couch. She's catching a stomach bug. She kept throwing up," said Dawn.

On the couch, Mary Anne was feeling dizzy trying to keep up when Mr. Spier came in the living room with Dawn.

"It's alright now, I'm here," said Mr. Spier.

"I'm feeling dizzy. I was afraid I might pass out if I leave here," said Mary Anne.

"I know, Dawn was smart enough to call me to tell me," said her father.

"I agree," said Mary Anne.

Then, she left with Mr. Spier. Dawn came back to join us.

"Is she going to be okay now?" asked Kristy.

"She just left with Richard," replied Dawn. "She was afraid she would pass out since she was dizzy. That's why I called him."

"Thank goodness you did just in case she did pass out," said Kristy as we all agreed.

"Will she be okay for tomorrow?" asked Mallory.

"If not, we can handle the camp without her for the day, that's all. We'll have all the other helpers since the triplets just got off punishment, right?" asked Kristy.

"That's correct. Mom said they are allowed to join us tomorrow and they are thrilled about it," said Mallory.

"I'm glad we can have extra helpers if you count Logan, Patti, Marci, Kathi, Kayla, and Kaylee," I said.

"I agree with you," said Kristy.

"Otherwise we wouldn't know what to do," said Jessi.

"Exactly," agreed Kristy.

Then the phone rang as soon as I answered.

"Baby-Sitters Club. Hi, Dr. Johansen. Sure. I'll check with the others and I'll get back to you," I said as I hung up. "She and her husband will be going away for a month on a business together trip and they need someone to stay with Charlotte or stay at one of our houses. They're leaving Sunday."

Mallory checked the schedule and said, "Dawn, Stacey, and Kristy are free."

"Who's free the most?" asked Kristy. "Whoever is free the most days can do (it) that way."

"That's a better idea," I agreed.

"Stacey is," said Mallory.

Mary Anne trained Mallory to be the secretary whenever she's not since Dawn would get confused.

"Okay, I'll just call Dr. Johansen back," I said as I picked up the phone to call her back. "Hello, Dr. Johansen. I will be watching her. She can do whatever she wants. It doesn't matter if she wants to stay with me or I'd stay with her."

"Want to ask Charlotte? She's thrilled to have you," said the doctor. "We'll bring her Saturday night since we'll be leaving Sunday morning."

"Okay," I replied as Charlotte got on the phone. "Hi. Do you want to stay with me and my mom or do you want me to stay with you? Okay. You can in case we need Mom. See you Saturday night. Bye."

I hung up then.

"Charlotte asked me if she could stay with me and Mom," I said.

"That would be a good idea. That way if you need your mother, you'd let her know," said Claudia.

"I know," I agreed.

After the meeting, Claudia, Mallory, and I walked to my direction since Mallory lives behind me. At home, Mom was making dinner when Claudia and I got in.

"Dinner will be ready shortly," said Mom.

"Okay," I said.

We went to my room to put Claudia's stuff there. I checked my blood sugar and it was normal. By then, dinner was served.

"Charlotte is going to be here since her parents are going on a business trip for a month. She'll be here Saturday night and her parents are leaving Sunday morning," I informed Mom.

"Okay. She can do that," said Mom.

"She can't wait to be with me," I said.

"I bet," said Mom.

"Mary Anne left the meeting early," said Claudia.

"Was everything okay?" asked Mom.

"She had an upset stomach and she was feeling dizzy and was afraid she'd pass out if she walks home on her own, so Dawn had to call Mr. Spier to come for Mary Anne," I replied.

"That was smart," said Mom.

"I know. That's what Mr. Spier said, too," said Claudia.


	11. Mary Anne IV

I felt good enough to join the rest. On Saturday, Charlotte was already at Stacey's. We decided she can bring Charlotte when she baby-sits during the day and weekends. We can take over at night on camp nights and when her mom's not available. That was a good plan to make.

Kayla and Kaylee invited me to stay over at their house for the night and I agreed to do so. I had permission. At their house, we ordered pizza. After we had dinner, we were in the basement watching a movie. We were watching My Cousin Vinny and it's a very funny movie! We laughed when that poor lawyer studdered. The other poor lawyer would wake by every noise you could think of like a whistle, an animal, and a train twice.

We were having popcorn and it was a good thing we weren't eating it because we'd choke. That happened to me one time when Logan told me a joke. Dad thought it was funny and he would laugh at everything. Mr. and Mrs. Bruno didn't help either because they laughed, too. I was mortified! I made myself a promise not to laugh when I'm eating and drinking ever again!

After we watched that, we decided to watch another movie. Kayla picked out my favorite movie, Titanic. That's their favorite movie, too. The only problem is that I'm sensitive and the only part I would cry when the ship hit an iceburg and sank. That happened way before my time: 1912. It was a true story. My friends would tease me about it, but they know when I'm upset because they would cheer me up. We would not go to bed until after the movie ended since it was about three hours long, but we didn't care.

To my surprise, I did not cry when the iceburg sank came, which was a good thing otherwise I'd be embarrassed even though Kayla and Kaylee wouldn't care. They don't cry at that part at all according to Kayla.

The next day, we ate dinner for breakfast after we had permission. It's always good that Kayla is strong during her illness. After that, we went back to their house. Their parents were going out until after three. I decided to offer to help out. It was a good thing because I saw Mario and D. J. fighting over the TV, so I went over to them.

"Stop it now," I said.

"I was here first," said Mario.

"No, I was!" exclaimed D. J.

I solved the problem quickly and shut the TV.

"Guess what? The TV is either for the both of you or neither of you. None of you is watching until you can learn to wait until your turn," I said.

That worked.

"Glad you stopped them," said Kayla.

"I know," I said.

That worked for a bit when I caught them fighting again.

"Alright, enough. You two are going to be separated," I said. "Mario, sit on the chair and D. J., get to your room."

"No," said Mario while D. J. obeyed me.

"If you disobey me, I'll make sure your parents make you to do so," I said.

That got Mario to sit down on the chair. I didn't want to put them in their room in case they start fighting.

"Thanks for stopping them. They can drive us crazy," said Kayla.

"I know. They should have separate rooms because if I put them both there, they could fight. How are they to share a room?" I asked.

"They have no problems sharing their room," said Kaylee.

"So, why are they fighting?" I asked.

"Who knows?" asked Kayla.

"We should do something to get them to stop fighting," said Kaylee.

Then, it hit me.

"I have an idea. We can start rewarding each time they don't fight," I said.

"That could work," agreed Kaylee. "We can tell the other girls tomorrow."

"Okay," I said.

"Good idea," added Kayla. "Our parents are tired of it, too."

When their parents came back later that afternoon, I told them about D. J. and Mario.

"I'm glad you were able to separate them," said Mrs. Willis.

"Me, too," I said as I told them about the plan.

They agreed with my idea.

Before I left the boys and said, "If you do behave, we'll do something nice."

They paid me for offering to help out. Those two know when I'm tough when the boys fight. Kristy wouldn't go for it either. The next day, at the camp, we shared the idea with the others after I told about my experience.

"It was a good thing she offered to stay," said Kayla.

"I know, we can try to see if the reward would work," said Stacey.

"We can always use Mary Anne and Kristy to watch the boys if they're free," said Kaylee.

"That would be a good idea to do," said Kristy.

"Yeah, but what reward should we do?" asked Kayla.

"You can think of it after camp when you guys watch the kids," I said. "You both can tell us what idea you came up with."


	12. Kristy II

_Stacey: Mary Anne, I'm glad your trick works because D.J. and Mario actually got along today, so we gave them a sticker for the chart. That was good work. _

After the camp, it was Stacey's turn to watch the younger kids, but with Kaylee since Kayla was feeling tired. Her parents don't expect her to baby-sit when she feels tired. Kayla would try to help out when she doesn't feel tired anymore.

Stacey noticed something very different between D.J. and Mario today. She noticed they were getting along today for a change. They know they should behave especially when Mary Anne watches them since she knows what to do when they do fight. They even took turns to watch TV, to play a DS game that actually belongs to D.J., and so on. She was really surprised about that.

"Mary Anne sure knows how to handle them," said Stacey.

"You bet she does," agreed Kaylee.

"Perhaps we can take the kids out to let Kayla rest," suggested Stacey.

"We can do that. I usually do anyway," said Kaylee. "We can call a friend to invite to come with us. I'll see if Mary Anne would like to join. She's watching the Arnold twins."

"That's a good idea," said Stacey. "We can do Kristy, too. She's with Jaime and Lucy."

"She can join in case D.J. and Mario start a fight," said Kaylee in a low voice.

"Good thinking," agreed Stacey.

Kaylee called Mary Anne before calling me. We both accepted their invitations. We both came in no time.

"We can go to the park. I'll go let Kayla know," said Kaylee as she went to let Kayla know.

"Okay," said Mary Anne. "I find this is a good way to help Kayla sleep."

"I know it is," said Stacey.

Kaylee came back and said, "All set. We can go now."

Out there, at the park, Mary Anne noticed D.J. and Mario being rough with one another.

"Excuse me. Keep an eye on the girls," said Mary Anne as she went to them. "Boys, either stop being rough or you will both come sit for a time-out. You two were getting along today, so don't spoil it."

She went back to us. That made them play nice. We were glad we got invited to come along- just in case. They behaved for the rest of the time. We stayed for an hour.

"Mrs. Arnold is going to be back home any moment now," said Mary Anne. "It's time to head back, Carolyn and Marilyn."

"Same here," I added.

We all left the park.

"If you two boys behave, you will get a prize," said Mary Anne. "So, you two better not fight or no prize for either of you. No matter who started it."

After Mrs. Newton came back ten minutes after we did, I went to Mary Anne's who had just got back, too.

"Mrs. Newton saw the note and she was home when we got back there. She didn't mind us being home after her," said Mary Anne. "I hope you two listened to my advice. Mr. and Mrs. Willis just drove in their driveway when I got back here."

That was when Stacey came out to be with us.

"Mary Anne, you sure know how to warn them because they did behave when we got back home. Kayla was still asleep when we got back, so we had to quiet them down so they won't wake her," said Stacey.

"Did they got their prize?" asked Mary Anne.

"Yes, we let them add a sticker to the chart," said Stacey.

"Good thinking," I said.

"Kaylee and I decided to make a chart, so that's what we did," said Stacey.

"Good," said Mary Anne.

"That was a smart idea," I added.

"I agree," said Stacey.

Later, at the meeting, she put that in the notebook so we can do the same thing when we sit with Kayla or Kaylee when one of them isn't available.

"I bet Kayla's sick of being tired and wished to be with us at the park," said Mary Anne.

"You got that right, but she didn't seem to care," said Stacey.

"Did the camp tired her out?" asked Claudia.

"I don't think so. She just gets tired, no matter what. Nothing else wears her out. She was fine when we had a sleepover the night before," said Mary Anne. "She's just strong."

"We can hold a fair at our house at the end of the camp season," said Dawn.

"That's a good idea for their treat," said Stacey.

Who did you think got upset when that's being mentioned? Mary Anne is very sensitive and hates it when anyone mentions the word _fair_. She tries to get the fair memory out of her mind and it's tough. How did I notice that? She wasn't in the room.

"Let's not talk about it anymore," I said.

"Why?" asked Dawn.

"Did you forget how it upsets Mary Anne?" I asked.

"Does that memory still gets stuck in her mind?" asked Claudia.

"Yes. You could see it's too tough for her to forget about it," I said.

"Poor Mary Anne," said Mallory.

"I know," I agreed.

"Why can't we all do it together to help her forget?" asked Dawn.

"I got a feeling she might refuse to join us, especially when it would be at your own home," I said. "You can't force her like that."

"Kristy's right," said Stacey. "At least I didn't mentioned that. I just said that would be a good idea for a treat."

"I give you credit for that. Dawn shouldn't mention that to begin with," I said. "You need to be very careful."

After the meeting, I was looking for Mary Anne. Did she leave?

"Mary Anne already left," said Mrs. Kishi.

"During the meeting?" I asked.

"Yes, she looked upset," said Mrs. Kishi.

"She gets that feeling when anyone mentions about the fair," I said.

"She still can't rid of that memory?" asked Mrs. Kishi as I shooked my head, no. "That's too bad."

"I know," I agreed. "We're thinking of doing it at Dawn and Mary Anne's unless we do it at the park so it wouldn't be in her mind."

"That would be a better idea to do," commented Mrs. Kishi.

"Yeah, I'll mention that to the others later on," I said.

I noticed Charlie arrived.

"I should go now. Charlie's here," I said.

"Bye, Kristy," said Mrs. Kishi.

"Bye," I said as I left the house to the car.


	13. Dawn II

At home, I didn't know what was Mary Anne's problem, but she was driving me crazy! I was ready to tell her to cool down.

"Just slow down," I said.

"Next time, please don't mention the fair," said Mary Anne as she headed off to her room.

I told you she can drive me nuts. Of course, she'd blame it on me like she normally does. Kristy takes Mary Anne's side by saying I shouldn't discuss the fair with her around to get her upset. Why can't she forget about the memory and just join us? At dinner, Richard noticed Mary Anne wasn't at the table.

"Where's Mary Anne? Didn't she know it's time for supper?" asked Mom who noticed that as well.

"She's being a grouch," I said.

"Dawn," said Mom.

"It's true. She's a drama queen when I mention about the fair," I said.

"Then, don't mention it in front of her and you should know it by now," said Mom.

"And, she's not a drama queen or a grouch," added Richard. "All your mother asked if you knew where Mary Anne is."

"Probably in her room," I replied. "That's all I could think of."

After dinner, Mary Anne didn't bother coming back down to help me out.

"Why can't she just come down to help me in the kitchen?" I asked.

"She's getting ready to go baby-sit," said Richard.

That was when she came down to leave the house to go help watch Kayla and Kaylee's siblings because their parents were going out to see a comedy show. She even had a bag with her clothes.

"I'll be back tomorrow because Mr. and Mrs. Willis won't be back home until midnight, so they asked me if I could stay overnight," said Mary Anne.

"Okay," said Richard.

"Bye," said Mary Anne as she left the house.

"So, she's not going to help out?" I asked.

"How can she if she had to baby-sit?" asked Mom. "Why did you think we can take over?"

"It's not a big deal," said Richard.

The next day, Mary Anne came home by eight with both Kayla and Kaylee. Mary Anne looked exhausted.

"You look tired," I said.

"All D.J. and Mario kept doing is fight, so you know what I told them both; no sticker for either of them," said Mary Anne.

"Good idea for their punishment," I agreed.

"I know. We also put them to bed early, but kept them seperated and they were fine after that," said Mary Anne. "They did not like the punishment, but I told them it was too bad. They should know better. They know the rules, if they fight, no reward."

"They should have their own rooms," I said.

"I know, but I was told they have no problems sharing a room, but I didn't want to put them in their room in case they start fighting," said Mary Anne.

"Glad they go to a different camp," I said.

"I know otherwise they would tire me out," said my sister. "Plus, we could hear them fighting to see who should have the couch while all of their younger siblings were in bed, so I went to them and tell them to keep it down before they would wake the others up. I also told added the couch is either for everybody's or nobody's."

"That's right," I agreed.

"I was able to grab Mario to his room and told him to behave otherwise I could tell his parents. He did behave after that," said Mary Anne.

"Good," I said.

"I know. They do know how I can be firm to them," said Mary Anne.

"We're glad we can count on Mary Anne," said Kayla.

"Let's go out because camp is due to start any minute," I said.

"Good thought," said Kaylee as we went out there before the kids arrived.

The other girls came by. Later, at the meeting, Mary Anne was writing about last night in the notebook so the rest would know what's going on. She still looked tired, but that didn't stop her to make a mistake.

"Why don't you go home if you're going to be like that during the meeting?" asked Kristy.

"That would be a better idea. I'll see you tomorrow," said Mary Anne as she left to go home.

After Mary Anne left, Kristy said, "We should do the fair at a park so Mary Anne can keep the memory out of her mind."

"That would be a good idea," said Stacey. "She doesn't have to join if she doesn't want to. We won't force her. She can stay at home or doing something else. I'm sure Kayla and Kaylee might want to come since they're our helpers."

"I'm surprised Kaylee forgot about the fair memory," said Kristy.

"Me, too. Mary Anne wishes she could do the same," said Claudia. "She's not jealous or anything, she just says Kaylee is lucky to forget about it."

"Yeah," the others agreed.


	14. Mary Anne V

At home, I was still asleep when Dawn came home from Claudia's. When dinner was almost ready, I took a shower to keep me awake and I felt better after that.

"Feel better after you slept?" asked Dawn.

"Yes, I just took a shower," I replied. "I went to sleep right after I came back home."

"You need a new plan for those boys," said Dawn.

"Along with the sticker chart?" I asked.

"Yes," answered my sister.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked her.

"Tell them everytime they fight, they'll get a time out. If they keep it up, no more stickers for the reward," said Dawn.

"I always seperate them," I said.

"Keep on doing that. They'll learn not to do it ever again. That's way better than ignoring them," said Dawn.

"I agree with you," I said. "I almost thought about ignoring them, but I decided to change my mind because I knew that would not be a good idea."

"Would be a better idea if they have seperate rooms so they wouldn't be in the same room if you sent them there?" asked Dawn.

Hmm. That sounded like a good plan.

"M.J. has her own room. Perhaps one of the boys can switch with her," I said. "She's the only one who doesn't share a room."

"Would she feel comfortable doing that? Do they get along with her?" asked Dawn.

"They get along with her pretty well. M.J. gets very upset when they fight. That scares her," I said.

"I bet it does," agreed Dawn. "Try that the next time you watch them."

"Sounds like a good idea to me. I'll mention it to both Kayla and Kaylee tomorrow," I said. "In fact, they're coming over for dinner, remember?"

"I remembered," said Dawn.

"I can tell it to them afterwards and see what they think of the idea," I added.

"Good plan," said Dawn.

That was when Kayla and Kaylee arrived.

"Speaking of them," said Dawn.

"I have a plan to tell you after dinner," I said.

"Okay," said Kayla.

"We decided to sleep over here to give us a break from D.J. and Mario," said Kayla.

"Good idea. That's what we need to talk about," I said.

"Mom and Dad didn't blame us for that. They were just fighting and they both got punished for a month," said Kaylee.

"That should teach them a good lesson," said Dawn.

"I know. We just needed peace and quiet from them," said Kayla.

"I don't blame you for that," I said.

"Me either," said Dawn.

At dinner, Dad called to tell us he was running late due to traffic. He said we can start without him. That's what we did and Dad arrived a few minutes later.

"Glad to get out of that traffic," said Dad.

"I bet," said Sharon.

After dinner, I told the girls what Dawn said to do the next time they need me to watch the siblings.

"Good idea. Mom and Dad said the punishment is a good start. The time-outs would be another option," said Kayla.

"I know. I also think to have one of them switch with M.J. would be a better idea. So that way they won't fight if we have to send them to their room," I said.

"I think so, too," said Kaylee.

"Yeah, I agree," added Kayla.

"We can let Mom and Dad know tomorrow," said Kaylee.

"I pray that would help them to quit fighting because it's driving us crazy," said Kayla.

"I know," said Kaylee.

The next day, at breakfast, I was coming down slowly because I was getting sick to my stomach.

"Is Mary Anne coming?" asked Dad.

"She's coming," replied Kayla.

That was when I came to the table.

"I was taking my time because I'm getting sick to my stomach this morning," I said.

"Are you going to be okay to joining the girls for the camp?" asked Dad.

"I should be alright. That should get me some fresh air," I replied.

"Do you want any TUMs?" asked Dad.

"Yes please," I answered.

He gave me TUMS and I felt better after that. Out there, I was getting sick to my stomach again while I was with the kids. Now what? Then, I could feel sharp pains in my stomach. Luckily, Kaylee was with me.

"Kaylee," I said trying to remain calm.

"What is it? Are you okay?" asked Kaylee.

"I can feel sharp pains in my stomach," I replied.

"Let me go get your dad," said Kaylee as she rushed inside to get him.

She came back out to me.

"He's coming. He wants me to help you to sit on the porch," said Kaylee.

"I'm in pain," I said.

I could hardly move. Then, Kaylee had an idea.

"Kayla, help me bring Mary Anne to the porch. She has a sharp pain in her stomach and her father instructed me to put her on the porch. He's coming out now," said Kaylee.

"Okay," said Kayla.

That was when they noticed I was sweating. That was when Dad came out right away.

"It's alright now, honey, I'm here," said Dad.

"She could hardly move," said Kaylee.

"Thank you for getting me," said Dad. "I'll help her out."

Kaylee offered to help out, too. At the hospital, I almost passed out while I got rushed to the emergancy room. Two to ten minutes later, Dr. Wellington came in the waiting room where Dad was.

"Mary Anne will be just fine. It was only her appendix. They're taking it of care right now before it could burst," said Dr. Wellington.

"Okay," said Dad.

"I'll come back to get you when they're done so you can see her," said Dr. Wellington.

Dad waited for twenty minutes when Dr. Wellington returned.

"All set. You can see her now," said the doctor as he brought Dad to me. "She's still asleep, so it may take awhile for her to wake up. She may be tired from the operation."

"Okay. When can she go home?" asked Dad.

"Probably in a few days so she can recover," replied Dr. Wellington.

"Alright," said Dad.

I didn't wake up until two hours later and Dad was back to see me.

"Dad," I said.

"Hi, how are you feeling now?" asked Dad.

"Getting better thankfully," I replied with a smile.

"That's good," said Dad. "The doctor told me you'll be here for a few days to recover."

"Okay," I said.

I was home a few days later, but the stitches won't be taken off until Saturday. I wasn't able to help out at the camp yet until then. Saturday flew by when the stitches got taken off- thank goodness for that!


	15. Jessi II

_Jessi- D.J. and Mario are a pill when I helped Kaylee out Saturday afternoon for a family emergancy. They do not stop fighting at all and do not listen to me. So, I was able to call Mary Anne and she sure knows how to handle them. Then, something happened unexpectedly and Mary Anne is _**not**_ going to like it at all._

I was getting ready to help Kaylee watching her siblings since Kayla got rushed to the hospital for something. That's why Kaylee asked me to help her out right away and stay there until her parents come out. When Mary Anne found out, she got very worried about Kayla. She prays that she wouldn't lose her best friend. Here's a long story about what we learned.

When I got there, Kaylee was waiting for me.

"Do you know what time your parents are coming back?" I asked.

"They didn't say. Just to warn you about something: D.J. and Mario are driving me nuts. They blamed each other to get them in trouble and get grounded," said Kaylee. "They are not allowed to watch TV, go outside, leave the house, or use the phone."

"Okay," I said.

"Mary Anne said she'll be home in case you need her," said Kaylee.

"No problem," I said.

I was glad to hear that.

"How's Mary Anne doing anyway?" I asked.

"She's worried about Kayla," replied Kaylee.

"I'm sure she is," I agreed.

"I am, too, for that matter," said Kaylee.

D.J. and Mario were fighting over TV. I went over there and shut the TV off.

"Hey," said Mario.

"Sorry, but you're not supposed to watch TV during your punishment," I said.

"So?" asked Mario.

"So, if your parents find out you're breaking the punishment rules, you both would be in deep trouble," I warned him. "If you don't like it, that's too bad."

Glad I remembered about the punishment rules. Neither of them was listening to me.

"You can call Mary Anne if you want. She can handle them while you watch the other kids with me," said Kaylee.

"Good idea," I said.

I called Mary Anne for help and she came over right away so she can keep an eye on D.J. and Mario. Kaylee told her the same punishment rules.

"If they don't listen, I'll make them listen. They should know better," said Mary Anne.

"I know," said Kaylee.

Kaylee and I went outside to watch the kids where they were. The phone rang as Kaylee went inside to answer it.

"Hello," said Kaylee.

"Hi," said Mrs. Willis.

"Oh, hi, Mom, how's Kayla?" asked Kaylee.

"They said the leukemia is getting worse than ever and may not last too long," said Mrs. Willis.

"Really?" asked Kaylee.

"Yes," replied her mother.

"How long?" asked Kaylee.

"At least five to ten weeks," replied Mrs. Willis.

"Can she still help us out at the camp?" asked Kaylee.

"She may or may not able to," answered Mrs. Willis.

"Okay, when can I see her? When you and Dad get back?" asked Kaylee.

"You can," replied Mrs. Willis.

"Good," said Kaylee.

"We'll be home shortly," said Mrs. Willis.

"Alright," said Kaylee as she hung up.

She came out looking scared.

"What is it?" I asked.

"That was my mom. Kayla has about five to ten weeks left to live," replied Kaylee in a low voice so the others won't hear.

"Uh-oh. That doesn't sound too good," I said.

"I know. Mary Anne is going to be torn to hear about that," said Kaylee.

"I agree with you," I said.

"Mary Anne may want to see Kayla, too," said Kaylee.

"Where was Mary Anne? Is she still with the boys?" I asked.

"Yes, but I was in the kitchen and they're in the living room," said Kaylee. "Mom and Dad will be here shortly. Then, they'll let me see Kayla."

"I wonder how we can break the news to Mary Anne. Should you wait until after your parents come back so she can focus on the boys?" I asked.

"Yes, I was thinking about the same thing," said Kaylee.

Mr. and Mrs. Willis came back ten minutes later. Both D.J. and Mario were giving Mary Anne a hard time.

"Knock it off, right now," said Mrs. Willis. "This is why you're both punished."

"I was able to call Mary Anne right away because they gave me trouble," I said.

"That's fine," said Mrs. Willis. "You girls can go now."

"What's going on?" asked Mary Anne.

"You can go visit Kayla," replied Mrs. Willis.

"Good," said Mary Anne not knowing what was happening.

At the hospital, Kayla was glad to see Mary Anne.

She must have noticed how scared Kayla is because she asked us what was going on. Kaylee got Mary Anne as they went out.

"You're not going to like this, but Kayla isn't going to last long," said Kaylee.

"What do you mean?" asked Mary Anne.

"She has five to ten weeks to live," replied Kaylee.

"What?" asked Mary Anne. "Are you joking?"

"No, Mom called earlier, but I wanted to wait to tell you so you can focus on D.J. and Mario," said Kaylee.

"Oh," said Mary Anne.

After Kaylee and I visited Kayla for thirty minutes, Mary Anne wanted to stay with her best friend since she's not going to last long.


	16. Mary Anne VI

I was still with Kayla. We were chatting while I was trying not to cry.

"I just hope you'd live," I said holding her hand.

"Me, too," said Kayla.

We chatted until the visiting hours were over. Mrs. Willis came to bring me home. I was quiet on the way.

"You're quiet," said Mrs. Willis.

"I just pray God will keep Kayla to live," I said.

"I know," said Mrs. Willis.

When Mrs. Willis dropped me off, I thanked her and went inside. That was when tears started to flow and I ran up to my room. I couldn't believe what might be happening: losing my best friend. In my room, I was on my bed crying my eyes out.

"Mary Anne?" asked a voice.

That was when Dad came in to join me. He already knew Kayla was being rushed to the hospital.

"Is everything okay, honey?" asked Dad as he sat with me. "How's Kayla doing?"

"Mrs. Willis called while we were sitting for the younger kids saying Kayla's leukemia has gotten worse and might not last very long," I said.

"Oh, that's awful to hear," said Dad. "By how long?"

"By five to ten weeks. At first I didn't know what was going on because I was watching D.J. and Mario since they could not go outside during their punishment. Kaylee was the one who answered the phone. I had no idea what was happening until her parents came back and we get to visit Kayla. Kaylee was the one who told me what her mother said. She didn't tell me right away so I can focus on the boys," I said.

"Oh, sweetie," said Dad putting his arm around me.

"I just don't want to lose my best friend," I said wiping my tears.

"I know," said Dad comforting me and I hugged him tightly while I was still sobbing. "It'll be okay now."

That night, Sharon said, "It's time for dinner, everyone."

They went down, but I didn't go down. I was very worried about Kayla.

"Mary Anne," said Sharon.

"Give her some space. She came home upset after visiting Kayla from the hospital," whispered Dad as he told her about it.

"Oh," said Sharon.

"Mary Anne is terrified about that," said Dad.

"I bet," agreed Sharon.

"And, she might not to do anything," continued Dad.

In the middle of the night, I was dreaming about Kayla dying in the hosptial while I was by her side.

"No, no," I was calling out. "No, no."

I was also tossing and turning in bed while I was crying in my sleep.

"No, no," I was crying out. "No, no."

"Mary Anne," said Dad as he came in and sat with me. "Mary Anne, honey."

I was still tossing and turning.

"Mary Anne, it's okay, I'm here," said Dad.

That was when I woke up shaking like crazy while I was still crying from that dream and I hugged him.

"It'll be alright now, you were having a bad dream," said Dad stroking my hair.

The next day, I found out Kayla would be in the hospital for a whole week. When our friends asked Kaylee how Kayla was, she was able to tell them without being upset. Good thing she would because if I tell them, I might get emotional. Jessi explained it, too.

"I hope Kayla would be okay," said Stacey.

"I know," said Kaylee.

That was when they noticed I was sitting near a tree.

"How's Mary Anne doing?" asked Stacey.

"She's pretty torn up right now," replied Kaylee.

"I bet," said Stacey.

"Perhaps joining us would make her feel better," said Kristy. "It's tough to be upset during the BSC camp."

"I know," agreed Dawn.

Kristy came over to me and said, "Why don't you join us to make you feel better?"

"I'm just concerned about Kayla right now," I replied. "I'm scared about losing her. I think I'll take a few days off from here just spend time with her if you don't mind."

"Okay," said Kristy.

"I'll leave to go see her now," I said.

I got up to leave there. Kristy went back to the girls.

"Where is she heading?" asked Stacey.

"She decided to go visit Kayla. She said she wanted to take a few days off to just spend with her," said Kristy. "I told her that was fine."

"Okay," said Dawn.

"I figured that she would," said Kaylee.

At the hospital, when I went to see Kayla, I noticed she wasn't in the hospital room when Dr. Wellington came by.

"Where's Kayla?" I asked.

"She's just getting treatments," said Dr. Wellington.

"Oh, good," I said. "Would that make her live longer?"

"We really can't say at this moment. If so, she could be living for another year," said the doctor.

That was better than five to ten weeks.

"How long are the treatments?" I asked.

"She'll be back in here shortly," replied the doctor.

"Good, I'm here to be with her for awhile. I was worried about her," I said.

I was in the waiting room when Dr. Wellington came in and said, "You can go see her now."

I went to Kayla and we hugged. I was happy about that.

"I'm glad you might be able to live longer with the treatments," I said.

"Me, too," said Kayla with a grin.

"I decided not to leave your side at all," I said.

"Good," said Kayla.

"I know," I agreed.

Later, I came back home and went inside.

"How's Kayla doing? Dawn told me you went to see her," said Dad.

"She had her treatments, so she might live for another year. I was glad to hear about it," I said.

"That's good," said Dad. "Do you know when she's getting released from the hospital?"

"I have no idea. Dr. Wellington didn't say," I replied. "As long as she's doing fine, I'm all set."

"I know," said Dad.

Luckily, she came home from the hospital two days later and she get to help out at the BSC camp again. She was glad about it. At least I didn't lose her at all.


	17. Dawn III

The next day, Kayla wasn't at the camp because she was too tired according to Kaylee. Mary Anne is worried about Kayla, but she understands about it.

"I'll probably see Kayla after camp," said Mary Anne.

"Why can't you go see her now?" I asked.

"First of all, she might be sleeping and second, I can't leave the clients like that. If Dad finds out, he'd think I'm being irresponsible. If he gave me permission, that's another story," said Mary Anne.

"That's a smart thing to do," said Kristy.

"Yes, I know," agreed Mary Anne.

"Do you mind if I go check on Kayla?" asked Kaylee.

"Sure," replied Kristy.

I don't see why Kaylee is doing it. She came back out five minutes later.

"She's asleep," said Kaylee.

"Glad I decided to wait after camp especially when the clients are our responsibility to watch them," said Mary Anne.

"I agree with you," said Kaylee.

Richard was out of work early, so when he got home, he helped us out. After the camp, Mary Anne told her father where she would be.

"Okay, that's fine, honey," said Richard.

At home, Mary Anne didn't return yet when the phone rang and Richard went to answer it. Then, he came back to get ready for dinner.

"That was Mary Anne. She just needed to tell me she offered to watch the younger Willis kids to let Kayla sleep until their parents return from work in an hour or so and Kaylee agreed with the idea," said Richard.

"Okay," said Mom. "Is she going to eat there or does she want us to leave leftovers for her?"

"They don't eat until both Mr. and Mrs. Willis get home from work," said Richard. "So, I'm sure we can save leftovers for her."

"Alright," said Mom.

An hour later, Mary Anne looked tired when she came back.

"Did the boys got you tired out as usual?" I asked.

"Yes," replied Mary Anne. "Those two need to learn not to fight anymore."

"Was Kayla able to sleep through that?" I asked.

"Yes, she wears earplugs to block them out," replied Mary Anne.

"That was a smart idea to do," I said.

"It's funny that they don't share their room now, so I don't get why they're still fighting," said Mary Anne.

"I know," I said.

"You should take a break from watching them if they're going to make you feel tired every time," suggested Richard.

"Kaylee said the same thing. I actually agreed with her, so she'll ask one of the girls tomorrow at camp to help her out for the time being. Her parents couldn't blame neither Kaylee to make that suggestion. Both D.J. and Mario just don't listen when you tell them to quiet down," said Mary Anne.

"I bet that's why Kayla gets tired," I said.

"That's what I said, but it's leukemia that makes her tired, not the boys," said Mary Anne. "That's what her mom told me."

She went to bed early at around nine. The next day, when I came down after getting dressed, I noticed she wasn't downstairs.

"Where's Mary Anne?" I asked.

"She's still in bed," replied Richard. "That's what I noticed."

"How come she's still in bed?" I asked.

"She's probably still exhausted from yesterday when D.J. and Mario were giving her trouble, so I'll let her sleep for a bit. She can meet you girls out there when she gets up," said Richard. "You can tell Kristy that."

That's what I did when I went out.

"Kaylee was just telling us about how D.J. and Mario would make Mary Anne tired yesterday after camp," said Kristy. "I'm glad she suggested Mary Anne should take a break from watching them."

"Who's taking her spot for awhile?" I asked.

"I am," replied Kristy. "I'll make them listen."

"Good idea," I agreed.

Mary Anne didn't join us until it was after ten-thirty, but Kristy doesn't mind about that. Mary Anne seemed to be better after she slept a bit longer.

"I'm going to take over for you awhile when Kaylee told us all about it," said Kristy.

"Mrs. Willis is getting ready to put them into foster care and keep them apart if they keep it up," said Mary Anne.

"I don't blame her," said Kristy.

"Neither did I. That's what she warned them on what she would do," said Mary Anne.

"Good. Perhaps that would make them stop," said Kristy.

"I doubt it," said Mary Anne. "Is Kayla still tired to help us out?"

"Yes, she is," replied Kaylee. "She hopes she would be out here with us tomorrow."

"I bet," said Mary Anne.

"She doesn't want to be tired anymore," said Kaylee.

"I agree with her," said Mary Anne. "No one wants to feel that way during their battle of leukemia."


	18. Kaylee

The next day, Kayla was able to be with us and she was glad about that.

"I'm glad I'm not tired like I was for the past few days. I did remember that the doctors mentioned the treatments might to do that to me. I didn't realize it until last night," said Kayla.

"How can treatments make you tired?" asked Dawn.

"It just happens that way," I said.

Mary Anne came to us and said, "Hi. How are you feeling this morning, Kayla?"

"Better," said Kayla. "I'm glad I have the energy to be with you now."

"So am I," said Mary Anne.

Later, I found out no one invited Mary Anne to join us to a party Claudia was hosting. I think that's mean to do that to my best friend. Kayla and I noticed that.

"Why you didn't invite Mary Anne to join us?" I asked.

"What do you care?" asked Claudia.

"Well, we do," replied Kayla.

"You wouldn't like it if someone does that to you," I added.

"We did invite her, but she said she had plans with her father," said Dawn.

Kayla and I had a feeling that Dawn might be lying. Sure enough, when we asked that to Mary Anne, she said, "Plans with my dad? Why did Dawn lie to you for? No one asked me to join them."

"I knew Dawn was lying," said Kayla.

"Me, too," I said.

"I wanted to go, but they refused to let me," said Mary Anne.

"Honestly, that's not so right for them to do that," said Kayla.

"I know," agreed Mary Anne. "I wanted to know why."

"Same with us," I said.

"At least you both care," said Mary Anne.

"That's what we told the girls," said Kayla.

Later, Mary Anne was waiting for Dawn to come home and when she did, Mary Anne was still mad.

"Why did you lie to Kaylee that I have plans with Dad? He's not even home. He has a meeting until eight, remember?" asked Mary Anne. "If he was still here, that's different."

"That was our choice," said Dawn.

"Why? So I can feel excluded?" asked Mary Anne with her firm voice. "Excuse me, I'm going to be with the Willis girls. At least they care about me."

She came to us a few minutes later.

"Dawn would not tell me the truth about why I wasn't invited. I was angry that she lied to you," said Mary Anne.

"We'll make her to tell you the truth," said Kayla.

"Good luck with that," said Mary Anne. "I did nothing wrong to deserve that."

Were Dawn and the others jealous that Mary Anne spends so much time to be with us? She has to help us watch our siblings- especially D.J. and Mario, and to never leave Kayla's side through her illness, so that's not Mary Anne's fault to do that. No one should get mad about that. It's no one's business.

When I asked Mary Anne that, she was wondering about the same thing.

Sure enough, she made Dawn to tell the truth and that was it.

"It's not your business that I had to spend time with the girls when they need me to keep an eye on the boys. I didn't plan to leave Kayla's side at all," said Mary Anne. "It's not my fault. That's your problem."

Sharon found out and she agreed with Mary Anne.

"I thought you and the others supported Kayla, too, during her illness. That's what I don't understand," said Mary Anne. "And, now all of the sudden, you're not going to do? That's a wrong thing to do. I like to support my best friend and you all knew it."

Mary Anne walked away still being mad at Dawn. Then, she probably knew Mary Anne was right and apologized to her. The next day, the others must have learned what Mary Anne said because they all apologized as well. She forgave them. That was a good thing.


End file.
